Methylene Blue: Helpful or Harmful?
Many biohackers are promoting the use of the synthetic methylene blue. Does it work? Well, it's tricky. Here's what you need to know.
In 1876, German chemist Heinrich Caro invented a textile dye made from coal tar. Its deep blue color made it great for dyeing fabrics like cotton. The only problem? As an industrial dye, this synthetic substance is toxic, carcinogenic, and non-biodegradable. It gets into the drinking water supply via industrial wastewater, threatening living organisms, including humans.
So, should you buy this blue dye from Amazon and consume it? Given the paragraph above, that question sounds nuts. But there's more to the story.
Yes, a form of this synthetic chemical is sold on the internet as a supplement, but unlike traditional food supplements, it was never derived from food. Still, it's legal and some YouTube and TikTok "biohackers" say to consume it for health reasons.
Here's what you need to know about methylene blue.
From Dye to Supplement
Physician Paul Ehrlich used methylene blue in the 1890s to stain biological tissues. That made them easier to see under a microscope. During his experiments, he discovered that the stain could selectively bind to certain cells and microbes, suggesting therapeutic potential.
Sure enough, methylene blue had antimalarial properties, and it was one of the first synthetic drugs used to treat malaria around 1900. The substance seemed to work, but it turned the whites of the patients' eyes blue, as well as their urine.
In the 1930s, methylene blue became the primary treatment for methemoglobinemia, a condition where hemoglobin can't carry oxygen effectively. Later, its mild antimicrobial effects lead to its use in some UTI treatments. Methylene blue even treats pharmacologically induced priapism (erections that won't go away after taking too much Viagra).
Over time, of course, researchers applied a whole lot of chemistry to the original petroleum product: oxidation, cyclization, methylation, purification, etc. The stuff sold today as a supplement isn't as crude as the industrial dye.
So, What's It Supposed to Do?
The supplement claims are wide-ranging:
- Cognitive/Nootropic: Some claim methylene blue enhances memory and learning capacity and improves focus, clarity, and attention span. They say it removes brain fog and mental fatigue.
- Mental Health: Methylene blue may treat mood issues like depression and anxiety and may prevent or slow Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
- Anti-Aging: It may improve skin health and protect against cellular damage via its antioxidant effects and other pathways.
Does Methylene Blue Work?
That's a tricky question. Based on the available (but limited) science, it may work for certain things. However, it may also have the opposite effects users are after, depending on the dosage.
In one study, researchers gave participants a low dose of methylene blue or a placebo, put them into a brain imagining machine, and gave them a memory test. Sure enough, certain brain areas brain "lit up" in those patients taking it. They also performed 7% better than placebo on memory tests. In related studies, methylene blue showed "some cognitive benefits" for Alzheimer's patients.
Methylene blue appears to enhance mitochondrial efficiency, leading to increased ATP production and improved neuronal energy metabolism. These effects are associated with enhancements in memory and executive functions, including attention and cognitive flexibility.
Early rodent studies showed that methylene blue exhibits antidepressant-like effects. Short-term human studies in the 1980s showed that patients receiving it experienced a 44% reduction in depression scores. Likewise, bipolar patients reduced depression and anxiety symptoms without exacerbating manic episodes at the higher doses studied. A 2017 study reported moderate improvements in depression scores and significant reductions in anxiety over six months of treatment.
On the anti-aging front, methylene blue appeared to reduce oxidative stress and slow cellular aging.
The Danger is in the Dose
Methylene blue exhibits a biphasic dose-response, meaning low doses can be beneficial, but higher doses can cause harm. Chronic high doses can accumulate in tissues, leading to unknown long-term effects.
High doses interfere with mitochondrial function and act as a pro-oxidant, negating its benefits. It has even been shown to be neurotoxic (damaging to nerve cells) in animal studies. Despite the risks, many biohackers use daily amounts that fall into the toxic range.
Generally speaking, as a supplement, methylene blue may be beneficial at 0.5 to 4 mg. Anything over that and the risks accrue, especially over time. Many studies use 15 mg or more for specific therapeutic goals: treating people diagnosed with severe depression/anxiety or a neurodegenerative disease. However, these studies are medically supervised and usually short-term.
Methylene blue is especially risky for those taking SSRIs or SNRIs antidepressants. Co-use could lead to serotonin syndrome, which can be life-threatening.
Generally, the early signs of taking too much are nausea, dizziness, headaches, and discolored (blue-green) urine.
Methylene Blue: A Big Question Mark
Researchers generally say that methylene blue is promising but advise against self-experimentation. We just don't know enough about the long-term risks: pro-oxidant effects, mitochondrial damage, cellular toxicity, neurotoxicity, drug interactions, etc. Many biohackers promote methylene blue as a nootropic or anti-aging supplement, but it may have the opposite effects in healthy individuals.
At T Nation, we encourage careful, informed self-experimentation, but methylene blue is still a big question mark. If you try it, use a low dose for short periods and only use the pharmaceutical-grade form. We're going to skip it for now.
A Safer, More Proven Option
People seeking cognitive enhancement, relief from mood disorders, or anti-aging effects should first take care of the basics by correcting nutritional deficiencies associated with inflammation.
Omega-3 fatty acid deficiency, which is increasingly common, is associated with poor cognitive functions, depression, anxiety, and accelerated aging. Correcting that before experimenting with an industrial dye makes sense. Just take 4200 mg daily of fish oil. That's three softgels of Flameout DHA-Rich Fish Oil (Buy at Amazon).
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